Tamperproof container device



Feb. 22, 1944. STONEBRAKER 2,342,434

TAMPERPROOF CONTAI NER DEVI CE Filed Dec. 30, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet l F'IGJ. 14

4e ze 1M 13 32 32 j J. 49

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I N VEN TOR.

A ORNE Y.

Feb. 22, 1944. L, G, STONEBRAKER 2,342,434

TAMPERPROOF CONTAINER DEVICE Filed Dec. 30, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

ATT RNEV Patented Feb. 22, 1944 Lyndon G. Stonebrake or to Liquilock, Inc.,

ration of Delaware r, New York, N. Y., assign- New York, N. Y., a corpo- Application December 30, 1940, Serial No. 372,388

7 Claims.

This invention relates to the prevention of tampering with containers for liquids, and more particularly to devices for preventing unauthorized relling of such containers,

An object of my invention is to provide iinproved securing means for tamperproof container attachments to prevent unauthorized removal of such attachments, and which is particularly applicable to the type of attachment described in my prior Patent No. 2,122,595 granted July 5, 1938.

It is also an object of my invention to provide a non-reiillable container device which will lock the container against pouring of its contents upon any attempt to rell it, yet which is proof against accidental locking. In this and other respects, the invention relates to improvements in the device shown in said prior patent.

A further object is to provide, in a device of the character described, means which locks rthe tamperproof device against accidental operation and which also provides an auxiliary seal 'pre-V venting unauthorized disabling of the tamperproof device. i

Another object is to provide securing means for tamperproof container attachments or theY like which provide means for indicating unauthorized attempts at removal.

Other objects and advantages Will appear as the description proceeds.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a preferred embodiment of the invention, said embodiment being shown in the neck of `a bottle. In this view the parts are shown in the position which they occupy normally when the closure is in place preventing accidental operation of the locking means.

Fig. 2 is a View similarly to Fig. l but with the closure removed and with the parts shown in locking position in response to an sert liquid into the bottle.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but with the closure removed and with the means for preventing accidental actuation of the locking `means shown in a position which likewise prevents insertion of a siphon or iilling tube when the means for locking the container against pouring of itsv contents is disabled by the means for preventing accidental actuation thereof.

Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are horizontal sectional views taken on the lines 4 4, 5 5, 6 6 respectively of Fig. 1.

tamper-proof endeavor to in- Fig. 7 is an enlargedl detail sectional view taken as indicated at 1 1 in Fig. 5.

Referring to the drawings, my invention is shown as applied to the neck of the bottle A although its use is not restricted to any particular type of container. The embodiment of the` invention here illustrated is shown as comprising a sleeve i2, a retainer and pouring element I3, a closure lli and a non-refill mechanism disposed Within the sleeve ii. The sleeve l2 preferably has an integral flange l5 at its upper end for engagement with the neck end of the bottle A and a ange iii at its lower end, the edge of the Flange l 'orming an opening Il for passage of the'contents oi the bottle and to serve as a seat for the Valve or non-refill mechanism. IIhe non-refilling mechanism shown is of the general type disclosed in my prior Patent No. 2,122,595 granted July 5, 1938. It comprisesa" spool or cradle i8 mounted within the sleeve |2` orliinited sliding movement, and a pair of hollow balls i9, iii, together with other cooperat` ing elements to be described. The cradle Iii comprises an'intermediate hub or body element 2t having iixed arms 22 extending longitudinally in the sleeve i2 and engaging the inner periphery thereof.

constituted by opposite endiportions of a single member mounted in said hub). Each of the projections 23, Mi is adapted to enter a corresponding opening 25, 2t in the wall or a respective one of the pair oi hollow balls I9, 2U. In the normalA position of the parts as shown in Fig. 1, the balls: rest against opposite i'aces 0I" the hub 2i and liebetween adjacent cradle arms 22 with thel ball seating in and closing the opening Il in the lower wan formed by the flange it. With-this closed by the ball 2B.

its lower closed end, carrying the ball y with the rise in liquid level away from the projection 23 and freeing it therefrom. The ball I9 is unbalanced as by the concentration of the Weight at any suitable point, such as *indicated* at 2i, whereby, ball beyond the as soon as the liquid floats said end o1' the projection 23, the ball is turned into the position shown in Fig.`2, carry#v 25 away from the projection. The

ing its opening ball is now positioned between the' projection 23 and a bailie 23 Which, in the embodiment illustrated, are integral with the bailie and engage a shoulder 3i] (Fig. 7)

Projecting from opposite faces-oi' thev hub 2i are studs or pins 23, 24 (which may be mounted in the well or sleeve l2 inI any suitable manner as byl meansof arms 29' 2 formed by a counter-bore in the upper end of the sleeve l2. The baffle is further secured in place by the retainer element I3 which has an overlapping engagement with the arms 29 as at 3|. If desired, the baiiie 2S may be provided with a cup-like extension 32 providing means for centralizing the ball I3 ind increasing the dif-Iiculty of any attempt to manipulate the ball by a tool inserted from the outside. The cup 32 of the baffle 28is so spaced from the end of projection 23 when the cradle IS is in the position shown in the drawings that, upon thefreeing of the ball i9 as aforesaid, the ball engages the cup or under part of the bale. Ts the ball then turns by virtue of its unbalanced condition, a solid portion of its wall engages the projection 23 so that the cradle and the ball 2o are locked in their lowerrnost position, and the opening il of the container permanently closed. Not only is the liquid poured into the bottle neck thereby prevented from entering into the body of the bott1',"b`ut the latter is'eiectivel'y and perman'eitly lockedagain'st pouring' of its 'contents or il'thr ilse.` InA thisconnectiomit is to be noted that`the ball lil is continually biased intofitsjpositioxn shown iriFig. 2 :by ivirtue of 'its distribution of'v/eight,V and that access to this ball is prvented'by the bai'iie4 2 8. and baiiiecup 32. (Ac-y eees' io this bellfisffofiher pieveoieci levi supple.- oeoielv foeeos io ee. oeserileeof). Thebeiile is teffineeoeleie ei. further use. eno. env attempt to p OUl' Oilt itsA contents is futile. This condition ei tHe ieeiile provisie-s. evioeooe" to the. consumer that tampering has .been attempted, and further proves to the offending person that it is useless PQenSeel/.ol to temper viiih bottles. or other oonieoerseoiiipoed with this dei/.iee- Tho distance oeiveeofthe eooof oroieoiieoie. eootiielootiom. of; the baille 22 o r b .afe cup 3,2" maybe very slightly greater than the diameter of the ball (ertoe. oroerof e ihoosendth of en. inch, for egainple), sothat the `ballrnay turn particularly freely as soon as. it, clears ,the projection. Such a Cleeeoee is'uonefoesserv to permit turning ofi the, bell, although iimev loe. provided without interference with, the ei'ectiveness of the lockingoption eboveoesoriioeel.

The. oeil. epd. ereolearreoeemeat thus far.. de,- scribed operates in4 substantially' thesame man-4 ner ostile oevioeoisoloseo in my prior patent. above. liefei'ed i0- Whiie, I haveoescribedthe, ooereiioil of, this Dertien of the meoheoism with reference to an ,upright positionv ofl the bottle, it willfbe `uruvierstood that it alsoV is` eieotivefor, otlierlnosiiioos of the bottle, esoesoribedin. my prior potent When ihe looitlev istoloed upside. down or withI thle neel; endpointing downwardly jat anangle, the ball Zuis loated vloeyondthe action 26 Hupon any attempt `to fill the bottle,

y due toits unbalanced y condition,` turns eioooo 'ifi .iheseioemeoeer ashes been described. with reference to'A the action of the Yball, ll uwl'ien the 'bottle' upright duringwthe `refilling attempt.

' l ee'oeroeooe .with presets invention., thev sleeve I2'a`nd baiilezv 2S are retained,againstwunf authorized removal from the neck ofthe Lbottle nieansofthe retainer i3 which alsoserves as a pouring element and asa mountingfor thel closure f f4.' "This retainer 'elementi is Y provided anI attaching 'skirt Eiwlfiich is interiorlyA threaded' asat 34 forfengagernent Iwith complrnentaryV threads 35 rformed on thecutsideuof theV ne'ckfof the bottleV Anearl itswendo.,A In theorielbdir'nen't illustrated,l "the retainer I3 ltapers in-y Wedlifieveiiisoeeteee,ooo. terremotos. io.

` retainer. ipreierelolvfislneoeoi emololeo olesiio.

a substantially cylindrical pouring lip St which preferably is provided with an inwardly extending flange 37 for a purpose to be described.

The interior wall portion 38 of the retainer cooperates with a roller 40 and a cam surface @i formed in the edge of the flange i5 of the sleeve l2 to prevent unauthorized removal of the retainer, or to fracture the retainer upon application of suicient force. Suitable means are provided for preventing the sleeve t2 from turning relative to the bottle neck as, for eX- arnple, by providing it with longitudinally eX- tending ribs arranged for engagement with the corresponding grooves in the bottle neck. The cani surface el may be formed by simply providing a notch in the flange I5 of the sleeve, the end d3 of lthis notch extending substantially in a radial direction as shown clearly in Fig. 5. Since, in the embodiment illustrated, the threaded engagement between the retainer and the bottle neck is right-handed, the retainer will be torneo io En eioelevise fiiieoiioo, es vieWee in Fig. 5, during its application to the bottle. This clockwise motion is performed freelyv because the roller lity rests against the uprightl Wall d3 at the end notch in the Hooge.. l5. of the sleeve ood eX- eris. no. oemmios eeiieo- Whoo, however, ii is attemptedte. remove, the retainer. ille roller to isoarrieol eert op. the inelioeooem surfeee 4I of, theileteh soinetii is wedged tigo-ily eetween that surface and the inside of the wall SS of. the retainer... it will. be. Clear that. the greater the, force exerted. in. en attempt to .remove the. retainer., the tighter Will be the loot;l between the retainer. soo. the sleeve. by reason oi the aforesaid carinii-iris.k or. weoeioel eoieo.-A Whoo the force. applied, is. Voir solosieniiet. the. reteiner i3 will be ruptured one-.er this Wedsine action which, oi. Course, provides. evoieooe io the consumer thattamperine hes. been irieot The.

Composition with. theY desired; freeiiiriiis. eherac teristicsg Another feature of my invention residesin the Previsionemeans cooperating Withthe. aforesaid container elementl and tamperfprocf locking -means for. preventingaccidental operation ofsaid locking means. With the construction thusfar described, it ispossible, under certainconditions, for the ball I9 'to be joggledintdthe position shown in Fig. 2,A even in the absence. ofanattempt. toL refill thebottleror. for the ball- 20 to .bediftedromthe .projectionv 24; so as. to ,lock the. container. against pouringA oi. its-contents` For. example, with the. closure. i6. in place,` the. bottle. might, belaidaupon itsVA side. durino ship.- ment Ain a, train or other vehicle, and` thejouncing.- of such vehicle could quite easily,result inac.- cidental operationof, the tampon-prooi locking means.I In order toelirninate such a: possibility,

I havei provided auXiliaryAmeans for,l disabling,

the locking means so that when the` closure is in placeL it is impossible ,for `theInearls to actuate.

. In mvpreferred embodiment, the disabling means Consists essentially of ereoiproeable plunger.

member arranged betweenv theclosure iii. and the bell.. IS io suelo. e, wey. that Lwherrihe closure I4. .is inv oleoe, the oertswoibeheioin;the. posi-` tion shown oFief` 1 so. theithebells maudit, cannot be lfreed frornthe projectionsandll,

ofthe heb 2t, Ioihis. position, iioeoeil .2o Aoloses the opening Il in the lower vvallhlffofthe well,

In the embodimentV illustrated, the plunglil is slidably arranged.innan' aperturei ini the nected by arms or spokes 4t to a sleeve 41 slidably arranged within the cylindrical portion 36 of the retainer I3. A coil spring 48 surrounding the plunger 44 bears at one end against the top of the baiiie 28 and at its other end against the under side of the plunger top, exerting a force which lifts the plunger into the position shown in Fig. 2 when the closure l4 is removed. The ange 31 at the top of the retainer or pouring element serves as a limit stop for the sleeve 41 of the plunger. While, as previously described, the plunger 44 when in the position shown in Fig. 1 with the closure in place, effectively prevents accidental operation of the locking means, it will be observed that when the closure is removed and the plunger is lifted by the spring 48 into the position shown in Fig. 2, the tamperproof locking means becomes effective for its intended purpose.

Inasmuch as the plunger 44 provides means for disabling the tamper-proof locking means, it is to be supposed that anyone seeking to tamper with the container might be led to attempt to use the plunger 44 as a means for disabling the tamperproof locking means even when the closure I4 is removed, as for example, by pushing down on the plunger with a suitable instrument. Such an attempt, however, will be futile with the arrangement I have devised because the sleeve 41 is arranged to seal the pouring opening at such times as the disabling means is effective by reason of interception of the ball radius by the plunger 44. For this purpose, the sleeve 41 is arranged to cooperate with an upwardly and outwardly extending annular iiange 49 formed on the baiile 28. Fig. 3 shows the plunger 44 partially depressed, as it might be during an attempt to disable the tamper-proof locking means. The plunger has reached the lowest or innermost position which it can occupy and still permit operation of the locking means. That is to say, if the plunger is pushed in any further, the locking means can be disabled, or prevented from operating. However, in the positions shown in Figs. 2 and 3, or 1n any intermediate position, the operation of the locking means is not affected by the plunger. It will be understood, therefore, that in order to depress the locking means, it is necessary to depress the plunger to an extent greater than indicated in Fig. 3, and in such a position, the sleeve 41, which is attached to the plunger, completely closes the opening between the flange 49 and the cylindrical portion 36 of the pouring element. rIhus, a seal is provided for any position of the plunger that could be elective in disabling the locking means and there is no space through which a syphon tube or other instrument could be inserted.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that I have provided apparatus adapted to be inserted into a portion of a liquid container, such as the neck thereof, for protecting the contents of the container, said apparatus being responsive to introduction of liquid into said portion for movement into a position permanently locking the container against further use; that I have provided further, means for preventing accidental locking of the container against further use when the outer closure is in place; and that I have provided means for preventing the lastnamed means from being used as a device for disabling the locking means when the closure is removed. The last-named means closes the pouring opening in the retainer element when the means for preventing accidental actuation of the locking means is manuallyoperated. The retainer element serves as a pouring spout, receives the outer closure or cork, provides a guide andv stop for the sleeve of the plunger (44), and prevents removal of any part of the assembly without fracturing the retainer itself. y

The terms and expressions which I have employed are used as terms of description and not of limitation, and I have no intention, in the use of such terms and expressions, of excluding any equivalents of the features shown and described, or portions thereof, but recognize that various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention claimed.

I claim:

1. Apparatus adapted to be inserted into a portion of a liquid container for protecting the contents thereof, said apparatus comprising means responsive to the entrance of liquid into said portion from the exterior of the container for permanently locking said container against pouring of its contents, a closure member, and means cooperating with said closure and said locking means for preventing accidental locking of said container against pouring of its contents.

2. Apparatus adapted to be inserted into a portion of a liquid container for protecting the contents thereof, said apparatus comprising means responsive to the entrance of liquid into said portion from the exterior of the container for permanently locking said container against pouring of its contents, a closure member, and means cooperating with said closure and said locking means for engaging said locking means to prevent locking thereof when said closure is in place.

3. Apparatus adapted to be inserted into a portion of a liquid container for protecting the contents thereof, said apparatus comprising a member for closing a` pouring opening for said contents and movable away from said opening in response to tilting of said container for pouring said contents, means responsive to the introduction of liquid into said container portion for permanently locking said member in a position wherein said opening is closed, a closure member, and means cooperating with said closure and said locking means for preventing response of the locking means to liquid entering said portion from within the container.

4. Apparatus adapted to be inserted into a portion of a liquid container for protecting the contents thereof, said apparatus comprising means including a normally unbalanced member responsive to introduction of liquid into said portion for movement into a position permanently locking said container against further use, a closure member, and means arranged for engagement by said closure member for holding the unbalanced member against movement into said locking position when said closure is in place.

5. A tamperproof attachment for a liquid container comprising a pouring element, a closure for the pouring element, rell preventing means, means in said pouring element for disabling said first-named means when said closure is in place, and auxiliary means for closing the pouring opening in said element when said disabling means is manually operated with said closure removed.

6. A tamperproof attachment for a liquid container comprising a pouring element, a closure for the pouring element, means for locking the container against removal of its contents upon attempted refilling of the container, a baffle" within the pouring element, a reciprocable memberr andmeans for holding said reciprocable member in position to prevent accidental actuation of said locking means, said holding means comprising a member arranged to close the space between the barile and pouring element when said holding means are in holding position;

'7. Apparatus adapted to be inserted into a portion of a liquid container for protecting the contents thereof, said apparatus comprising a member for closing a pouring opening for said contents, spacing means movably mounted in Asaid portion and engaging said member, a second member engaging said spacing means, means hunting movement o1" said second member .away from the spacing means, the iirst mentioned member being adapted to move into a .position wherein it is locked between said spacing means and said opening in response to introduction `of liquid into said container portion when the container is in certain positions, and said second member being adapted to move into a `position where it is locked between said limiting means and said spacing means to lock the first member in closing position in response to introduction of liquid into said container Aportion when said container is in other positions, an outer closure .element, and a reciprocable element Aarranged for engagement with yone of said members for preventing either of said members from moving intosaid locked positions whenrthe outer lclosure element is in place and in engagement with said reciprocable element.

LYNDON G. STONEBRAKER. 

